Near Marshfield in Wood County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Prisoners of War

By Keith L, June 28, 2007

1. Prisoners of War Marker

Inscription. Prior to World War II, few Americans had ever been held as prisoners of war on foreign soil. But the surrender of U.S. forces in the Phillippines in the spring of 1942 suddenly swelled the number of POWs into the thousands, and soon a network of support groups was formed in the U.S. to exchange information about loved ones held captive. At the war’s end, the Bataan Relief Organization absorbed similar “barbed-wire clubs” and in 1949 became the American Ex-Prisoners of War. A Wisconsin department was established in 1977, and Stanley G. Sommers of Marshfield, a sailor captured at Corregidor, became national commander in 1980. Sommers was instrumental in compiling data regarding the effects of incarceration on ex-POWs, some of which informed the congressional debate over passage of the Former Prisoners of War Benefit Act of 1981.

A total of 142,227 Americans were captured and held as prisoners of war during both World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam, including 1,929 Wisconsinites. Some 15,190 U.S. service personnel died in captivity, almost three-quarters of them in Japanese hands during World War II.

Erected 1990 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 295.)

Location. 44° 35.83′ N, 90° 10.884′ W. Marker is near Marshfield, Wisconsin, in Wood County. Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 13 and U.S. 10, on the right when traveling south on State Highway 13. Touch for map. Marker is in the wayside that is southwest of the crossroads. Marker is in this post office area: Hewitt WI 54441, United States of America.

POW/MIA Memorial Highway
State Highway 13 Wisconsin Dells to Superior is designated as a memorial to honor all prisoners of war, ex-prisoners of war and those who are currently or were formerly missing in action, of all wars in which the United States has engaged.
This designation is pursuant to Wisconsin Statute section 84.1047.This sign is at a wayside at the junction of State Highway 13 and State Highway 21 in Adams County, Wisconsin.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on July 2, 2007, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,079 times since then and 32 times this year. Last updated on October 27, 2007, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 2, 2007, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. 3. submitted on October 27, 2007, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.